Abstract
Such is the power of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) that they require sovereign states, eager for key cities to host future editions of the Olympic Games, to enact specific legislation designed to protect, amongst other things, the Olympic brand and its associated trademarks; it is also intended to prevent the occurrence of ambush marketing before and during the period of the Games, thereby protecting the commercial interests of the IOC and the sponsors participating in the Olympic Partner program. However, there are no such requirements for guarantees pertaining to the intended legacy outcomes of these Games, either in terms of their physical manifestation, or with regard to their sustainability, despite sustainable development being one of the pillars of the Olympic Movement. This paper argues that if the IOC were serious in their professed intent that Games’ legacies be beneficial for the residents of host cities, regions and countries over time, they could require the enactment of straightforward legislation guaranteeing planned and sustainable outcomes. Furthermore, the paper provides the example of a Canadian educational foundation to illustrate the infrastructure the IOC could impose on host cities to ensure Games’ outcomes are sustainable in terms of the lifespan of venues, infrastructure, facilities and equipment.
Highlights
The IOC’s requirement for various binding guarantees from candidate cities bidding to host a6 Games edition has existed for the past several years; such guarantees are currently contained under 17 separate themes (e.g., IOC, 2004), intimately related to Articles and Rules contained within the Olympic Charter (McKelvey & Grady, 2004)
This paper has demonstrated that the IOC is able to exercise considerable coercive power over5 sovereign states
This is evidenced by compliance with the requirement that nations with cities2 wishing to bid to host the Olympic Games provide a significant number of legal guarantees in relation to different aspects of the Games
Summary
The IOC’s requirement for various binding guarantees from candidate cities bidding to host a6 Games edition has existed for the past several years; such guarantees are currently contained under 17 separate themes (e.g., IOC, 2004), intimately related to Articles and Rules contained within the Olympic Charter (McKelvey & Grady, 2004). Their main purpose appears threefold: firstly as a metric for evaluating each city’s candidature 11 Medical Services (i) Heath care investment plans described in the Candidature File are practicable and compatible with the harmonious development of host country, region and city
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